A Tale of Two Christmases
by LettieM
Summary: Sarek and Amanda experience two very different Christmases early in their marriage.
1. Chapter 1

A Tale of Two Christmas

Chapter 2, "Home for Christmas"

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, don't profit.

Acknowledgement: My thanks to T'Ashalik for the beta and for her continuing patience, support, and encouragement - and to you, the readers, for your kind reviews.

Credit: Dr. Daniel Corrigan was a character invented by Jean Lorrah in her professional Star Trek novel, _The Vulcan Academy Murders_.

Sarek frowned as he exited his ground car and gazed at his home. The exterior lights shone amber through the deep blackness of the Vulcan night, but the interior was dark. Reaching out through their telepathic bond, he tried to get a sense of Amanda's emotional state, but her mental shields were firmly in place.

Suddenly uneasy, he hurriedly entered his home. From somewhere in the dark house came the soft strains of a Christmas song, "I'll Be Home for Christmas." He hung his cloak on a peg in the entry hall and removed his boots. Slipping his feet into his worn house slippers, he called out, "Amanda?" No response.

He went in search of his wife. The kitchen was dark and silent. Depositing a small package on the kitchen counter, he entered the living room. Multicolored lights glowed on the small artificial Christmas tree they had set up on a low table, but there was no sign of his bond-mate. I-Chaya rose from his bed next to the picture windows to greet his master. "Where is she, old friend?" Sarek asked his cherished pet. The sehlat gazed up at his master with soulful brown eyes and emitted a soft "Yowp."

"Come, let us go find Amanda," Sarek said as he stroked the rough fur of his pet's head. He headed for their bedroom, I-Chaya padding silently behind him. When he entered the room, he saw her, a small silhouette standing next to the windows facing out toward her garden. She was leaning against the wall, tracing patterns with one finger on the window glass.

Through the intimacy of their bond, he knew she was aware of his presence. "I've been looking outside all day, but there's no sign of snow," she said quietly. It was the middle of Vulcan's "winter," and the temperature had struggled all day to reach 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sarek walked over to stand close behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "There is little likelihood of snow this evening, my wife," he said softly.

She leaned back against him, reaching her right hand to caress his left hand where it rested on her shoulder. "I can always dream," she replied.

After a few moments of silence, she went on. "I saw Dr. Corrigan today. He said that I'm recovering nicely and we can resume marital relations in about six weeks. He advised against trying to conceive again for at least four months so my body has a chance to fully recover."

"Amanda. . ." Sarek began, but she turned to face him.

"Did you see her before they took her away? She was a beautiful little girl with blue eyes and pointed ears," she said, her sapphire eyes filmed over with unshed tears.

"I saw her," he replied quietly, stroking her cheek with paired fingers.

She gripped the soft fabric of her husband's soft burgundy tunic and buried her face against his chest so he wouldn't see her tears spilling over and running down her cheeks. Sarek wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her close against him, lowering his mental shields completely so she could feel his own unspoken grief.

"I am sorry this happened again, _ashayam_. Dr. Corrigan told me this process has taken a toll on your body. Perhaps we should stop trying to have a child and be content with our life as it is now. You are all I need, Amanda. If I were to lose you, I do not know how I would go on."

She burrowed deeper against his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I want to give you a child," she whispered. "I want that more than anything."

He sighed and rested his chin on the top of her head. After several moments of silence, he said, "Your parents contacted me at my office this afternoon. They were concerned because you had not responded to any of their messages."

"I didn't know what to say to them."

He pulled back and turned her chin up so they gazed into each other's eyes. "What would you say to a Christmas visit to your parents in Minnesota,_ aduna_? While I do not relish the thought of snow, ice, and sub-zero temperatures, I took the liberty of booking passage to Earth for the two of us tomorrow morning at 0500 hours. I calculate that we should arrive at your parents' home at 1800 hours on Christmas Eve. Would you like that?"

She smiled mistily up at him. It was the first time he had seen her smile since the loss of their stillborn daughter. "I would. Thank you for thinking of it. I missed being home for Christmas last year."

"I bought you a surprise I hope will improve your mood at least a little," Sarek replied, his dark eyes shining with what she knew to be love, even though he would never admit to feeling that emotion.

"What is this surprise?" she asked with a small smile, her curiosity piqued.

"Come to the living room. Sit and enjoy listening to your Christmas music. I will bring it to you there." Taking her hand, he drew her into the living room and gently lowered her into the antique oak rocker she had brought with her from Earth.

After covering her with the dark blue afghan her mother had crocheted for her the previous Christmas, he went into the kitchen and closed the door behind him. I-Chaya settled at her feet, resting his massive head on her lap. "Whatever is he up to in there, sweet pea?" she said, scratching the ecstatic sehlat behind his ears.

Closing her eyes wearily, she leaned back in her rocking chair as she listened to the the heavenly sounds of her favorite Christmas carol, "Silent Night." Within minutes, a familiar smell began to emanate from the kitchen. The kitchen door opened, and her husband walked out bearing a tray with a pot of hot chocolate and two Christmas mugs.

"Merry Christmas, Amanda," he said as he set the tray down on the table beside the rocker. He poured hot chocolate into one mug and handed it to her. After pouring another cup for himself, he sat down in his favorite chair on the opposite side of the table.

She took a cautious sip and sighed with pleasure. "Delicious," she commented, smiling at her husband. "Merry Christmas, Sarek. Thank you for thinking of this. You are so sweet, and I love you so much."

Sarek replied, "_Talukh nash-veh k'dular, aduna_," as he extended his hand in her direction. She reached out and placed her small hand in his. He squeezed it gently and released it.

They sat and sipped their hot chocolate in comfortable silence as they listened to "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas." Sarek stole a brief glance at his wife. She seemed more at peace than she had been in days. Perhaps this trip to visit her family would be healing for them both. Perhaps, in time, their wish for a child to complete their union would be fulfilled after all. As his grandfather Solkar had often said, "There are always possibilities."


	2. Chapter 2

A Tale of Two Christmases

Chapter 2, "Possibilities"

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; don't profit.

Sarek gazed at the front of his home as he exited his ground car. The exterior lights glowed amber in the deep blackness of the Vulcan night, but the interior was dark. Reaching out through their telepathic bond, he gauged his bond-mate's emotional state. Quiet contentment and love flowed to him in gentle waves. Nodding in satisfaction, he entered his home.

From somewhere in the house came the soft strains of one of Amanda's favorite Christmas carols, "What Child Is This?" After hanging his cloak on its peg in the entry hall, he removed his boots and slid his feet into his new house slippers, an early Christmas gift from his wife after his old ones had literally disintegrated. "Amanda?" he called out softly.

"In here," came the response from the direction of the living room. Depositing a small package on the kitchen counter, he entered their living room. Multicolored lights glowed on the small artificial Christmas tree they had set up on a low table. He found her sitting in her antique oak rocking chair, their tiny baby nursing contentedly at her breast. I-Chaya snored peacefully at her feet.

Moving to the side of the rocking chair, he knelt beside her as he gazed at this tiny miracle that had so recently come into their lives. "My wife."

"Good evening, _adun_," she replied, reaching her hand behind his neck to draw his head down for a soft kiss.

"How was he today?" Sarek asked, reaching one finger to stroke his son's soft cheek.

"He slept most of the day," she replied looking lovingly up at him. "I actually had time to cook a real meal for us. It's in the warmer in the kitchen. Unfortunately, he'll probably have me up all night."

"I will speak to him about his inverted schedule," he replied, watching with fascination as the baby's fingers gripped his index finger with surprising strength for one so small.

"Spock and I had follow-up visits at the Vulcan Academy Medical Center today. Dr. Corrigan said that I'm recovering nicely and we can resume marital relations in about two weeks. _Ohakausu_ Sorel found Spock's development to be 'satisfactory.' He's gaining weight and nursing well. As long as he continues to get supplemental bottles of donated Vulcan mother's milk from the Mothers and Infants Milk Bank, and develops as well as he is now, I can keep nursing him for a few more months."

"Did Sorel perform the intelligence and psi potential evaluations I requested?"

"He did. He found that Spock's IQ appears to be quite high even for a Vulcan infant. Early measurements of psi potential aren't as accurate as the Vulcan Medical Association would like, but Sorel said it appears Spock will have a high psi rating as well."

Sarek nodded, gazing into his infant son's dark eyes, which were focused on him with intense concentration. "He is obviously a superior child."

Amanda gazed up at her husband with a twinkle in her eyes. "Oh, yes, obviously. He is, after all, your son."

"Is he due for his supplemental bottle?" her husband asked. She knew through their bond that he was searching for a logical reason to hold his new son.

"Actually he is," she replied. "The bottle's in the warmer," she continued, indicating a small warming unit on the table next to her rocking chair.

"I will give him his bottle," he said as he reached for his son, "if you have no objection?"

"Not at all. He's all yours," Amanda replied, lifting the baby up to her husband's strong hands. She caught his quick glance at the rocking chair. Rising, she said, "Why don't you sit in the rocking chair to give him his bottle? I'll go check to make sure dinner's not getting too dried out."

"A logical suggestion," Sarek commented as he sank into his wife's rocking chair, his attention focused on his son. When she returned to the living room a few minutes later, she found her husband rocking contentedly, his son in his arms. The bottle, now upside down, rested in the warmer, and an all too familiar smell permeated the living room.

"I think Spock has a little surprise for you in his diaper, Daddy," she said.

He nodded. "I am not unaware of his surprise," he replied. "I will change his diaper. Sit and relax; enjoy listening to your Christmas music," he said, rising as he lifted his son to his shoulder.

Amanda watched as her husband gently patted their baby's back until the sound of a resounding burp filled the room. That mission accomplished, he carried the baby to the nursery to change his dirty diaper.

Sinking gracefully into her rocking chair, Amana leaned forward to stroke I-Chaya's head. The sehlat stirred and yawned, gazing up at his mistress with his dark brown eyes. "Want to go watch Sarek change Spock's diaper?" she asked their sleepy family pet. He answered her query with a soft "Yowp."

She smiled at the sehlat as she rose from the rocking chair. They moved together to the nursery door. Leaning against the doorway, she watched her husband interact with their son, her right hand resting on the rough reddish-brown fur of I-Chaya's head.

In the soft amber glow of a night light, Sarek leaned over his son's small body as he unfastened the dirty diaper. "Your mother tells me that you slept most of the day and will likely be awake a significant portion of the night, my son," he said softly as he cleaned his child's bottom with a damp cleansing cloth and tossed the soiled diaper into the fresher. "It is not logical to follow such a schedule," he continued as he slid a clean diaper under Spock's bottom. "In future, you will remain awake during the day and sleep during the night. That is the preferred schedule for a Vulcan infant."

Amanda smiled tenderly as she watched the baby gaze up into his father's somber gaze with wide eyes, arms and legs windmilling in gentle orchestrated movements. From the moment of his birth, Spock had appeared to be most fascinated with his father.

When her husband had fastened the diaper, and adjusted the baby's sleeper, he lifted their son in his arms. Amanda scurried back to the living room and sank into the rocking chair mere seconds before he re-entered the living room. "Did you find our father/son conversation enlightening, my wife?"

"It was adorable," she replied, blue eyes twinkling. "You ready to eat? I'll go get end meal on the table."

"That would be acceptable," he replied as he followed her into the kitchen. He placed the baby in an infant seat she had left on the kitchen counter earlier in the day and took his place at the table. She served the food and they ate in silence, as is the Vulcan way. Spock sat peacefully in his seat and watched them, his dark eyes moving back and forth between his mother and father.

When they had finished eating and cleared the table, Sarek picked the baby up from his infant seat and followed Amanda back into the living room. Handing the child to his wife he said, "I have a small surprise for you. I will bring it to you here."

"A surprise? Couldn't be the same surprise you had for me last year or the year before that, could it?"

The corners of Sarek's mouth quirked ever so slightly. "If I told you, my wife, it would no longer be a surprise."

"Quite logical," she replied with a mischievous smile. Her husband had bowed his head in acknowledgement and disappeared into the kitchen. Amanda gazed down at her child where he lay in her arms.

"Whatever do you suppose _Sa'mekh_ is up to in there, little one?" she whispered, lowering her head to kiss his forehead and nose. The baby gazed up at her, deep brown eyes wide with concentration. "You know something, sweet pea? You're the best Christmas present ever. Your father and I love you very much, even if he'll never admit it."

I-Chaya whined and rested his massive head on Amanda's knees, his mournful brown eyes moving significantly from her to this new rival for the attention of his master and mistress.

She leaned over, reaching her hand to caress the sehlat's head. "Oh, I-Chaya, don't be jealous. We still love you. And I need you to help me take care of him and watch over him. When he's a little bigger, you and he will be best friends, just as you and Sarek were when he was a little boy. Do you understand?"

The sehlat, who had gazed earnestly up at his mistress while she spoke, uttered a low moaning noise and lowered his head, nostrils flaring, to sniff the baby's skin. Apparently satisfied with Spock's scent, he very delicately washed the baby's silky black hair with his rough tongue. The baby startled when the sehlat's tongue first touched his head, but then cooed and waved his arms happily.

"Very good, I-Chaya," Amanda said, stroking the animal's head. "I'm glad you like Spock. I think he likes you too."

As she spoke, she noticed a delicious, and familiar, smell emanating from the kitchen. Moments later Sarek walked into the living room bearing a tray with a pot of hot chocolate and two Christmas mugs.

"Merry Christmas, Amanda," he said as he set the tray down on the table beside her and poured her a cup of hot chocolate. After pouring himself a cup, he sat down in his chair on the opposite side of the table.

Amanda took a sip of her hot chocolate. "Delicious," she commented. After taking another sip, she put the cup on the table. "Mom and Dad contacted me this afternoon to gave me the itinerary for their trip to Vulcan. They're scheduled to arrive at the Shi'Kahr space port at 1900 hours on Christmas Eve. I told them you'd meet them there and bring them to the house."

"Are they well?" Sarek asked.

"They're both fine. They're really looking forward to meeting their new grandson."

"It will be good to see them again."

"It will. I guess it took the birth of a grandson to finally persuade them to come here to spend Christmas with us." She smiled and reached her hand across the table. "Thank you for being so good about having them stay with us, dear. I love you."

Sarek took her hand in his and squeezed it gently before releasing it. "_Talukh nash-veh k'dular, aduna_."

They sat in companionable silence sipping hot chocolate and listening to the heavenly strains of "Silent Night." Sarek stole a quick glance at his wife. She was rocking their son and humming along with the music, her eyes gazing fondly at the sleeping infant in her arms. Her quiet joy on this night was a most pleasing contrast to her sadness of two years ago following the loss of their unborn daughter. After years of heartbreak and disappointment, their union was finally complete with the birth of this child. Sometimes possibilities are realized and dreams come true.

"A new baby is like the beginning of all things - wonder, hope, a dream of possibilities." Eda J. Le Shan

A/N: Dr. Daniel Corrigan and Healer Sorel are characters created by Jean Lorrah in her novel The Vulcan Academy Murders.


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